Is the Coronavirus a Blessing or a Curse?
Quinny B. ’25 salutes the essential workers with neighbors in New York City at 7 p.m., May 27, 2020. While COVID-19 has negatively impacted the world in various ways, it has also brought out the goodwill and kindness from many citizens. (Leigh Goldman P’25)
People are more united than at any other time in modern history. The staggering death toll and economic devastation will leave us forever changed. But maybe now is the time to find the light in the darkness—for ourselves, our school, our city, and our country. Maybe the way to solve this is to just be kind and treat those around us with respect.
It’s an unprecedented time, but I’m liking the precedent that the citizens of New York and Browning are setting.
The 7 o’clock cheer is nothing short of inspirational. The salute of health care workers and other essential workers. The sense of connection with neighbors you’ve never even met. The cheers of cars honking their horns, people banging pots and ringing bells.
These are some of the moments of greatness that have occurred during the months of the coronavirus, but why can’t we do this every night for the foreseeable future? Aren’t these heroic health care workers and other essential workers always important? Yes, but we supposedly have just realized their significance during the pandemic.
America received a wake-up call, a wake-up call for us to reset and focus on what’s truly important. The basics, like supporting your family, friends, and community, showing gratitude, and telling someone you care about them. It does not get any simpler than that.
In 2005, then President George W. Bush seemed to have used a time-travel machine to predict the future. Fourteen years before the COVID-19 outbreak, the president said that only a pandemic–and one that spreads rapidly–could hurt the U.S. economy and the nation’s security.
So, what does that tell us? The U.S. knew of this weakness over a decade ago, but the country didn’t take suitable measures to prevent this nightmare scenario. Now, the entire nation is scrambling to find ways to address the situation and ensure that another pandemic does not occur in the future.
Though the pandemic is trying to control our lives with fear and isolation, the goodness of people has made sure that this does not occur.
While the pandemic took us away from our accustomed in-school learning experience, our grit, determination, and flexibility have helped us go virtual without missing a beat. We have managed to enjoy the same laughter, maintain friendships, and create new memories. Even if the conversations are on Google Meets instead of at Smiley’s, they are still meaningful. We will get each other through this mess.
Yes, walking through the red doors has been a space for connection like no other. But now it’s almost as if we can imagine those red doors as we use Browning Connect. The friendships, the teaching, the love, the community that feels like a second home are still there for us. It is not 52 East 62nd Street. But it is still Browning.